Gate control circuit, power module and associated method
US8848322B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 20, 2011 |
| Grant date | Sep 30, 2014 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 20, 2031 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH02M1/32
- WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
It is presented a gate control circuit comprising: a main gate unit arranged to supply, via a plurality of main gate unit outputs, a gate signal to respective gates of a plurality of power switches, for controlling a main current; and an auxiliary gate unit comprising an optical power converter for converting incoming optical power to an auxiliary electrical gate signal. The auxiliary gate unit is arranged to, when a failure occurs in one of the plurality of power switches, provide the auxiliary electrical gate signal to respective gates of any of the plurality of power switches still being in operation. A corresponding power module and method are also presented.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.